Accused sexual predator and Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday that he is resigning from office, citing his alleged love for the Empire State and efficient government as the reason for his exit.
Don’t be fooled.
The governor isn’t stepping down because he doesn’t want to see state lawmakers and law enforcement officials bogged down by investigations into the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against him. He’s resigning in the hope that the investigations will be dropped, that he won’t be impeached, and that he won’t be barred from office.
“New York tough means New York loving, and I love New York, and I love you,” Cuomo said, his remarks coming just days after New York Attorney General Letitia James released a report concluding the governor sexually harassed at least 11 women, including state employees. “I would never want to be unhelpful in any way, and I think given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing, and therefore, that’s what I’ll do.”
He added, “The best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to government, and therefore, that’s what I’ll do, because I work for you, and doing the right thing is doing the right thing for you. Because, as we say, it’s not about me.”
What a selfless hero. It only took a damning report from the attorney general’s office, public opinion turning on him, and calls for his resignation from basically every major political leader, including President Joe Biden, for Cuomo to do the right thing. Truly, this is the inspiring leadership we’ve all come to expect from the son of the late three-term Gov. Mario Cuomo.
“When there is a bias or a lack of fairness in the justice system, it is a concern for everyone,” Cuomo said Tuesday. “There is a difference between alleged improper conduct and concluding sexual harassment. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is not to say that there are 11 women who I truly offended. There are, and I deeply, deeply apologize.”
He continued, maintaining his complete innocence.
Cuomo’s address Tuesday comes eight months after he was awarded an Emmy for his pandemic news conferences and nearly one year after he unveiled a memoir praising himself for his handling of the coronavirus epidemic. From media darling, hailed as the de facto president of the United States during the height of the pandemic, to fleeing the governor’s mansion in disgrace, and all in about a year-and-a-half.
“I have slipped and called people ‘honey, ’sweetheart,’ and ‘darling,'” Cuomo said. “I mean it to be endearing, but women found it dated and offensive. I take full responsibility for my actions. I have been too familiar with people. My sense of humor can be insensitive and off-putting.”
Cuomo’s announcement follows the resignation of his former secretary, Melissa DeRosa. DeRosa, you may recall, was identified in the attorney general’s report as having led the effort to retaliate against some of her former boss’s accusers. DeRosa has also been implicated in the governor’s attempt to cover up New York’s true COVID-19 nursing home death toll.
DeRosa almost certainly didn’t resign on principle, and she’s certainly no hero. She’s a co-conspirator, meaning she’s likely looking to save her own neck. Cuomo is also most likely acting to save himself, not because he loves New York and proper order but because there may be more coming down the pike than even his most ardent critics expect.
You’re not alone if you’re surprised that Cuomo is resigning. Indeed, even if you possess only a passing familiarity with the son of Mario Cuomo, you probably thought New York’s governor would have to be dragged from office with his teeth marks still on it. You probably thought he’d try to wait out his scandals. Even his former staffers thought so.
“Oh, he will stay until troops escort him out,” one former Cuomo staffer told the Huffington Post’s Jennifer Bendery.
Yet, here he is, announcing his resignation effective in 14 days.
Perhaps, then, that along with everything else the public knows about Cuomo from the attorney general’s report, it’s safe to assume the governor knows something (or some things) we don’t. Perhaps it’s not crazy to suspect the interview transcripts from the state’s independent investigation of the sexual misconduct allegations contain damning information not yet made available to the public.
“In my mind,” Cuomo said Tuesday, “I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate. And I should have, no excuses.”
In other words: I am not a creep. You all just became prudes, and no one told me about it.
Fun fact: One of Cuomo’s accusers, a state trooper, alleges the outgoing governor sexually harassed her one day after he signed sexual harassment legislation into law. Yes, the governor actively helped “redraw” those lines he now complains about.
If you suspect Cuomo’s motives for resigning are anything but altruistic, you’re not alone. Democratic New York State Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou likewise suspects Cuomo is resigning precisely because he’s hoping the relevant authorities drop their investigations into his alleged misconduct.
“The Governor’s last few sentences was basically asking the assembly not to investigate him further before resigning,” Niou said Tuesday. “[Gov. Cuomo], the Assembly investigation might not be the only investigation you should worry about.”
It’s worth noting here that the Albany County District Attorney’s Office is coordinating with the Albany County Sheriff’s Office to investigate a criminal complaint regarding sexual harassment by the governor.
One last thing: Cuomo will be replaced by Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The beautiful irony here is that by taking Cuomo’s place, Hochul will become the first female governor of New York. And all it took was a string of male governors resigning in disgrace over allegations of sexual misconduct and impropriety.
